e3-2014
Latest
Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved debuts on Xbox this October
Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved will bring its imaginative sound sorcery to the Xbox One and Xbox 360 on October 21. Developed by Rock Band creator Harmonix, Disney Fantasia explores the vivid imagery and music of Disney's symphonic film, but with a modern spin and a conductor-like wave of the arm in front of Kinect. As part of its release date announcement, Harmonix is showing off another one of Fantasia's hub environments, through which new songs can be discovered and brought into the world. "The Neighborhood" is a surreal glimpse at a 1980s New York, with a pastel sky bursting behind skyscrapers. As you poke around the city and complete songs, such as MIA's "Galang" and "The Real Me" by The Who, billboards and graffiti creatures come to life. And if you look in the right place, you can teach some cool vegetables how to be street performers. For more on Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved, head past the break to see the newest batch songs and footage of what it's like playing the game.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor trailer warns of the Gravewalker
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor received a new CG trailer today to commemorate the upcoming week of E3, in which attendees will be treated much like the Uruks in the video. The trailer takes place after a battle and shows a dying Uruk speaking of the "Gravewalker," whom players will know as Talion. Announced in November and developed by Monolith Productions, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe. In the game, Talion and his family are killed by uber-villain Sauron, though Talion is resurrected and seeks revenge. We strolled away impressed with the way Shadow of Mordor plays out after our hands-on time with the game late last month. It will launch on October 7 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. [Image: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]
New games from Crystal Dynamics and Criterion at E3
GameTrailers' schedule of events has dropped hints of new games coming from Crystal Dynamics and Criterion, the studio behind the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot and the studio behind the Burnout series, respectively. Crystal Dynamics has been teasing a new IP for almost three years, but according to GameTrailers, the first footage will finally be shown on Monday, June 9, sometime between 11 a.m. and noon, Pacific. While this reveal is touted as exclusive to Spike, GameTrailers lists the unannounced Criterion project as something that will be shown during EA's press conference, which starts at noon, Pacific. Whatever Criterion's game is, it won't be developed under the guidance of studio founders Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry - the duo departed Criterion in January of this year. [Image: Square Enix]
The Division's E3 teaser is all... Christmasy
The Division may not be coming out until next year, but you can get a (very) brief taste of it in Ubisoft's new E3 teaser. Really, it's nothing more than a teaser for the show and the upcoming reveals, but the shot of New York City in fast motion set against a soft voice singing "Silent Night" delivers on atmosphere if not details. You can check it out after the break.
Rumor: Battlefield Hardline beta lined up for PS4
EA is bringing a beta of Battlefield Hardline to PS4, if an IGN report proves accurate. The site said it learned readers had received PS4 beta codes from Sony after they'd RSVP-ed attendance to one of the company's E3 screenings at cinemas. According to their reports, the beta grants access to two game modes and a map called "High Tension." Additionally, an unnamed IGN source said the beta is indeed coming to the Sony system. News of a possible console beta isn't surprising following yesterday's leaked video, the latest in what's been a Titanic old time for the EA shooter. The video, pulled by EA, showed alleged footage of a PC beta, and it followed last week's spring of assets and an internal, six-months-old trailer. It's now confirmed Visceral Games is leading Battlefield Hardline development on both single-player and multiplayer, with series studio DICE assisting. The crime-centric game launches this fall, while EA will finally showcase it officially at next week's E3 conference. [Image: EA]
Twitch schedules its E3 broadcasts
Video game streaming platform Twitch signed a three-year deal in March to be the official streaming partner of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). While we'll have wall-to-wall coverage of next week's avalanche of announcements and other gaming goodies, those looking to watch live broadcasts of gaming's biggest annual event should check out Twitch's now-available broadcast schedule, found after the break. Twitch will kick off its coverage on the morning of Monday, June 9 with Microsoft's media briefing at 9:30 am PT (12:30 pm ET), later showing EA's press conference at 1:00 pm PT (4:00 pm ET). Following EA's "post show" is the reveal of a new game from Bethesda at 2:30 pm PT (5:30 pm ET). "Conference day" continues Monday with Ubisoft at 3:00 pm PT (6:00 pm ET) and Sony at 6:00 p.m. PT (9:00 pm ET). Nintendo's livestream-only E3 event leads the way on Tuesday, June 10 at 9:00 am PT (12:00 pm ET), followed by a handful of as-yet-unannounced game streams throughout the day from publishers like Deep Silver, Ubisoft, Microsoft Studios and Nintendo. Tuesday concludes with Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. invitational tournament at 4:00 pm PT (7:00 pm ET). Wednesday, June 11 and Thursday, June 12 include other unannounced games from Microsoft Studios, Square Enix, EA, Warner Bros., Crytek, Nintendo, Sony, Tecmo Koei and Ubisoft, with Twitch's final E3 stream, 2K's Evolve tournament, set for Thursday at 4:00 pm PT (7:00 pm ET).
Here is IndieCade's E3 showcase lineup
With E3 just over a week away, IndieCade revealed its lineup of games at the event. The "Showcase @ E3" will feature 34 games and installations, marked by Dennaton Games' top-down shooter sequel Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, Spry Fox's Road Not Taken for PS4, Vita, PC and Mac and Hohokum. Sony Santa Monica revealed earlier this month that Hohokum will launch this summer for PS4, PS3 and Vita. Games included in the showcase were selected from submissions for the upcoming IndieCade Festival, slated to be held in Culver City, CA in October. IndieCade will also host a Sportsfriends PS4 tournament at its booth during the week, which qualifier periods held on Tuesday, June 10 and Wednesday, June 11 with the tournament planned for the morning of Thursday, June 12. Head past the break to see the full list of games in the showcase. [Image: Dennaton Games]
The Great E3 2014 Giveaway Week 6: 14 free Xbox 360 and PS3 games
The Console Wars are and have always been hilarious. Victory, triumph of a one consumer product over another based on some kind of imagined spiritual superiority, is just plain silly. Yet you can see why players have been flaming one another from the beginning, jabbering ceaselessly in comments sections, schoolyards, and select pubs the world over about what box is better than the other. Video games and the machines to play them on are expensive, and it makes sense that folks want to defend their selection when they can have only one. Over the past eight years of E3 action, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 camps have bitterly cursed one another, standing by their chosen machines while Sony and Microsoft have raked in the cash. The biggest winners, fully able to luxuriate in E3's announcements, in this wholly arbitrary rivalry? Those lucky sons-of-guns with both consoles sitting under the TV. With E3 2014 likely to be the last stand for any straggling PS3 and Xbox 360 games, we'd like devote the sixth week of our giveaway extravaganza to those peacemakers that gave the very idea of console wars the stink eye. Here are 14 games, some for Xbox 360 and some for PS3, to warm your gaming panoply a final boost. If you want to win these games, write to us at podcast@joystiq.com with the subject line "E3 Giveaway Week 6" before 10AM EST on Monday, June 2 and tell us what your very favorite exclusive is for PlayStation 3 and then Xbox 360. One random selectee will get their mitts on the goods. What games will one lucky winner get their hands on? The full list and contest rules after the jump.
Former Sony boss Jack Tretton covering E3 for Spike TV
Jack Tretton, former president of Sony Computer Entertainment America and man who literally dropped the mic at E3 2013, will be back for E3 2014. Instead of operating under Sony's banner however, Tretton will join forces with Spike TV's Geoff Keighley as a "special correspondent" during Spike's "All Access" program, weighing in with his thoughts about the various announcements, reveals and news coming out of E3 2014's press conferences. "Since I dropped the mic last year on Spike I thought it was only appropriate to pick it back up for E3 this year," Tretton said in a statement to Kotaku. "I've been to every E3 but this year I'm excited to see the show through a different lens with the team at Spike. I'll be watching the news and announcements unfold alongside the fans and the rest of the industry, and I can't wait to see the new games that everyone is bringing to the table." In light of his employment history, it'll be interesting to see if Tretton takes Stephen Colbert's approach to his analysis, i.e. "Sony's press conference: great conference, or greatest conference?" [Image: Joystiq]
Watch PlayStation's E3 2014 conference on the silver screen
Sony is looking to grab additional eyeballs by broadcasting its E3 2014 press event to more than 40 movie theaters in the U.S. and Canada. The "PlayStation E3 Experience" on the silver screen will include a special 30-minute show after the press event hosted by Geoff Keighley, featuring extended video game footage and interviews with developers. Without spoiling the surprise, Sony also teased door prizes for those that attend the viewing at one of the theaters. PlayStation's E3 press conference is scheduled for Monday, June 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT), with the show itself slated to begin a half hour later. Tickets are free, but those interested in attending should register soon before spaces fill up. The PlayStation Blog has a list of the venues hosting the viewing parties. By comparison, while Nintendo is ditching the live stage show format for a second year in a row in favor of a Nintendo Direct stream for its E3 press conference, it is inviting 3,000 fans to Los Angeles to watch its Super Smash Bros. tournament. [Image: Sony]
Armored Warfare accepting applications for closed beta testing
Guys, Armored Warfare is totally not a World of Tanks clone. Guys? Guys? C'mon, don't give me that look. It's not! Well, maybe it is a little bit. The question is, then, will it be better or worse than its competition? Armored Warfare is a "tanktical" (their words, not ours) shooter that features all sorts of heavy combat vehicles. One key difference between it and World of Tanks is that Armored Warfare's lineup is more current, ranging from the 1950s to present-era tanks and other armored trucks. Obsidian Entertainment is pushing Armored Warfare hard these days in preparation for its E3 showing. The title has begun to accept closed beta applications and has put out a new trailer that you can check after the break.
EA confirms Battlefield Hardline, more details at E3 [update: leaked trailer?]
Battlefield Hardline is official and coming this fall, and EA's promo image adds weight to a cops-and-robbers outing for the typically military series. Responding swiftly to yesterday's leak, EA says it'll unveil the upcoming game at its E3 conference next month. It's confirmed Visceral Games is developing the game, and a leaked trailer notes the Dead Space studio is handling single-player with DICE taking up multiplayer duties. The assets found in the new Battlelog point to four character classes, modes that include Blood Money and Bomb Squad, and a map called Downtown. Similarly, EA's image features SWAT logos, masked gunmen and piles of filthy lucre. There's no word on platforms but we expect EA will share that info when it unveils Hardline on June 9. Update: Or maybe we won't have to wait to see more of Hardline. A 7-minute gameplay video posted this morning (and swiftly removed) looked like a leaked reveal trailer under an "Omaha" codename. It described Heist, Rescue, Hotwire and Bloodmoney multiplayer modes, and a single-player campaign revolving around police corruption and drug cartel. The trailer's re-emerged online, and (for now) you can find it below the break. [Image: EA]
The Great E3 2014 Giveaway: 13 free special edition PC games
The ebb and flow of PC gaming has been odd. Arcades rose and fell. Handhelds were dominated by a single company then marginalized by phones. Consoles rules economically but became more and more PC-like over time. Personal computers themselves, meanwhile, have been tidal over gaming's lifespan. Throughout the '80s, they were home to both arcade-inspired twitch fests and the medium's first lengthy experiences, but they were never as culturally dominant as the NES. In the '90s, PC gaming became the premiere field for technological advancement, pushing three-dimensional design long before living room boxes. In the past fifteen years, PCs have risen to a new level of prominence. At the dawn of the HD console era, the industry's biggest players still banked on the strong earning power of consoles but increasingly supported PCs with their biggest games, sometimes with the best versions of those games. E3 break outs like BioShock, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Assassin's Creed, Metro: Last Light, Far Cry 3, and many more have seen definitive versions appear not on consoles but on PCs. All the while, the rising tide of independent developers have flourished on PCs thanks to the ease of digital distribution. E3 conversation may still be dominated by which console maker won the show, but going into E3 2014, PC players are guaranteed to see something they like. In the fifth week of our massive E3 2014 giveaway extravaganza, we are handing out an absolute treasure trove of PC games. This week, we're giving away 13 games, all of them special or limited edition boxed releases, and one totally sweet book. It's a Diablo book. Which goes with the special edition of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. How's that for a tease? If you want to win this insane haul, write to us at podcast@joystiq.com with the subject line "E3 Giveaway Week 5" before 10AM EST on Tuesday, May 27 and tell us what past E3 game announcement made you glad you game on PC. One random winner will get the lot. What PC games will one lucky winner get their hands on? The full list and contest rules after the jump.
Nintendo invites 3000 to watch the best get Smash-ed at E3 tourney
Nintendo is inviting 3000 fans to watch its Super Smash Bros. E3 invitational tournament live in Los Angeles next month. The event features mascot melee on Wii U between 16 select players, and while it is being live-streamed on Twitch, you can watch it in the flesh as long as you're prepared to get up early and wait a good long while. Starting at 9:30AM on June 10, Nintendo is distributing 3000 wristbands from the Nokia Plaza at 777 Chick Hearn Court on a first-come first-served basis. That said, Nintendo requests no queues before Tuesday morning so there's no need to pack those sleeping bags. Then it's a wait until the afternoon with doors opening at 2:30PM and the tournament kicking off at 4PM.
EA to show off six new games at E3 (but probably not these)
Spike TV's Geoff Keighley reported today that Electronic Arts will reveal six new games during their press conference at E3 2014. And ... that's it, that's all we know about it. While it's hardly shocking to hear that EA is going to show new games at E3 - they don't book a nice theater and put on a show for an hour just to show off their nice jackets - any further details on their announcement are absent. Since we're counting the days to E3, you know what that means: baseless speculation time! Yes, we're going to fill in the blanks ourselves and guess what these six games will be. Note: these are wildly inaccurate, wholly unfounded, and not at all meant to be taken seriously. Get it? Got it? Good. Let's begin.
The Great E3 2014 Giveaway Week 4: 14 free PS3 games
The strangest thing about Xbox One's journey over the past twelve months-from a Kinect-centric, digital-focused gauntlet thrown at the used games industry to a more familiar disc-based, stripped down $399 box-is just how familiar that arc is. Think back to E3 2006, and you'll find another titan of the game console business making many of the same choices and take-backs, only then it wasn't Microsoft. It was Sony. The PlayStation 3 began life much like the Xbox One, a console sold as a modern media hub meant to do all things for all audiences and priced well above the competition. Also like Xbox One, Sony was forced to strip features out and sell PS3 for $100 less than launch price within a year. (Sony held out a little longer actually. Xbox One drops price in the June following release, while PlayStation 3 waited until the following August.) What's the lesson here? PlayStation 3 went on to become a spectacular console despite a tumultuous first year defined by its bad reputation and sales slower than its rivals. It is a model not just for Xbox One's life to date, but its potential future. Which is why we're looking back on Sony's third home machine in the fourth week of our great E3 2014 giveaway. If you want to win 14 free PlayStation 3 games, write to us at podcast@joystiq.com with the subject line "E3 Giveaway Week 4" before 10AM EST on Monday, May 19 and tell us which E3 was the year PlayStation 3 truly came into its own and why that's your pick. One random winner will get the lot. What 14 PlayStation 3 games will one lucky winner get their hands on? The full list and contest rules after the jump.
The Great E3 2014 Giveaway Week 2: 14 free PS Vita games
E3 is a console showcase. The Western world's premiere video game trade show is where the big money bruisers of console gaming have laid out their grand plans for nearly 20 years now. Before you scoff and point to the many PC-only games and other sundries announced over the years, just stop. When obsessives talk about who "won" E3, who do they talk about? Console makers, that's who. But despite the home console presence, handheld consoles have earned a special place at the E3 table. The Nintendo DS announcement in 2004; PSP's second wind push in 2009 with major announcements like Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (which was great) and Resident Evil Portable (which never existed); E3 is full of fine portable history. In the second week of our E3 2014 giveaway extravaganza, we're spotlighting modern handheld gaming's unsung hero, the PS Vita. From surrealist action like Gravity Rush to a cavalcade of independently developed gems like OlliOlli, PS Vita has got the goods despite a shaky E3 history. And hey, it almost had its own BioShock game. If you want to get your hands on 14 free PS Vita games, write to us at podcast@joystiq.com with the subject line "E3 2014 Giveaway Week 2" and tell us about a handheld game announced at E3 that you badly wanted to play but it never came out. The contest will close at 10AM EST on Monday, May 5. What 14 PS Vita games will one lucky winner get their hands on? The full list and contest rules after the jump.
Nintendo opts for livestreamed press event, game demos at E3
Nintendo announced that its plans for E3 this year in June won't include a traditional in-person press conference, as it will opt for a Nintendo Direct video stream as well as a series of livestreamed demos. This is the publisher's second year of handling E3 in this manner; Nintendo established its new, apparently preferred format for presenting its biggest news of the year just one year ago. The Nintendo Digital Event, dubbed a "new kind of video program that will reveal and provide further detail about the gaming experiences on the way for Nintendo platforms in 2014 and beyond," will air at 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 10. Nintendo Treehouse, the publisher's product development department, will also livestream unscripted game demos from its booth at E3 during all hours of the show. The Nintendo game that's slated to get extra attention this year is Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, which will get its own invitational tournament at E3 and be playable at Best Buy stores across the country for the week. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo to host Smash Bros tournament at E3
Nintendo will host a Super Smash Bros. Invitational tournament at the Nokia Theater at E3 this June in Los Angeles, the company announced via Twitter and an entertaining video featuring the comedic Mega 64 crew and Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. Additionally, players across the country will be able to play the next Smash Bros. game at Best Buy locations across the U.S. during E3, which is being held June 10 through June 12. Nintendo announced earlier this month that Super Smash Bros. will launch this summer on 3DS and will arrive on Wii U in the winter. The game's online modes will be split between "for fun" and "for glory" options and will include a "Smash Run" mode in lieu of the series' classic adventure mode. [Image: Nintendo]
The Great E3 2014 Giveaway: 14 free games each week until E3
Upon returning from PAX East, the Joystiq crew breathed a deep sigh of relief, content in the knowledge that some totally sweet games were being made. From Evolve to Below, from Project Morpheus to even lonely old Wii U, video games' immediate future filled us with patient curiosity. Then we got home and it hit us: badump bedump brodump tish BOOM I CAN FEEL E3 COMING IN THE AIR TONIGHT! It's coming June 10th through June 12th as a matter of fact. Oh yes, the E3 2014 engine is revving up as we speak. Just thinking about it has us all a little misty for the E3 mania of old, and you know what happens when we get misty: We start giving video games away. Every Friday between now and the end of E3 2014, Joystiq is giving away 14 games. Each week we'll bundle a selection of games around a specific theme. In turn, we want you to write to podcast@joystiq.com with the subject line "E3 2014 Giveaway Week (insert number here)" and share your favorite moment from E3s past related to that theme, all entries must be received by the following Monday at 10AM EST. For Week 1: Nintendo Freak Outs. Nintendo has a history of legendary E3 showings. There were exciting game announcements, but even more truly baffling performances. Sure, the Twilight Princess trailer was bananas good, but that Wii Music reveal? Pac-man Vs.? The Wii Vitality Sensor? Those were bananas in a totally different way. Write to us and tell us about the Nintendo E3 moment that made you think, "No way can this possibly be happening." What 14 Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and DS games will one lucky winner get their hands on? The full list and contest rules after the jump. Note: Contest runs from Friday to Monday 10AM EST.
